Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake With a Pecan Hazelnut Crust

I normally don’t post too much on the weekends but I want to get this up for those of you who may want to make this for Thanksgiving.

This is not your momma’s cheesecake. Unless of course, you have MY momma. She gets all the credit for this and she gave me permission to recreate and post it here. It’s not a typical cheesecake, although the consistency is the same. It’s not super sweet but for those of us who don’t eat sugar very often, I found it a perfect sweetness. Both the goat and neufchâtel cheeses lend a unique sophistication and tart flavor that blends perfectly with the pecan hazelnut crust.

Note: To make this a “regular” pumpkin cheesecake, substitute the goat and neufchâtel cheeses with the same amount of plain cream cheese and increase the sweetener you use from 1/4 c to 1/2 c.

Tip: Make this the night before serving. Any great cheesecake needs to “set” in a fridge for at least a few hours to get the correct consistency.

The crust is totally gluten/grain-free and I had to figure out the right proportions to get it perfect. And it is delicious – perfect for pie, cheesecake, or a tart, I will be using this crust recipe going forward for everything I bake.

Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pecan Hazelnut Crust

For the crust:
What you need:

1 c. pecans

1/2 c. hazelnuts

1/3 c. walnuts

1/3 c. coconut flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp butter, melter

2 tbsp honey or agave (if you use honey, you may need 1 tsp water for consistency purposes)

What you do:
1) In a food processor or blender, pulse the nuts and cinnamon until the nuts are very small and fine.
2) Add in the melter butter and agave and pulse until blended
3) Using your hands, form the dough inside a 9-in pie plate.
4) Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, until firm through.

For the cheesecake:
What you need:

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. neufchtel cheese

8 oz goat cheese

4 eggs

2 c. pureed pumpkin

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. -1/2 c. raw honey or agave (or sweetener of your choice)

What you do:
1) Put everything in a blender. Yes, it’s that easy!
2) Pour into pie plate with the cooked crust
3) Bake at 325 for 75-90 minutes.
4) THIS IS IMPORTANT: Also place a large baking dish almost full with water in the oven on the rack below your cheesecake. The steam from this water will help keep the cake moist, as well as prevent cracking and burning on the top.
5) Top with fresh whipped cream or ice cream and cinnamon.